Cracking the Code: How I Solved Late Image Loading in React Native

DhineshKumar Thirupathi ??

Hello Devs ??,

We’ve all been there—users waiting for images to load, the app experience slowing down, and frustration mounting. Poor performance can turn potential users into lost opportunities.

In this edition, I’ll walk you through how I overcame the challenge of slow and lazy image loading in a React Native project. I'll share the problem, my approach, the code, and the results—plus a few lessons I learned along the way.

Ready to optimize? Let’s dive in! ??

The Problem

The app I was working on faced a major issue:

• Images took forever to load, especially on slower networks.
• Lazy loading caused visible lags, which disrupted the user experience.
• The app struggled to handle image-heavy pages efficiently.

My goal was clear: reduce load times and improve performance without sacrificing quality.

The Challenges

Some of the key challenges I faced included:

1?? Unoptimized Images: Many images were large and needed resizing/compression.

2?? Lack of Caching: The app fetched the same image repeatedly, wasting bandwidth.

3?? Poor User Experience: Users saw blank spaces during lazy loading.

4?? Performance Bottlenecks: Image-heavy screens caused lag, especially on low-end devices.

The Solution

Here’s how I tackled these issues:

1. Optimize Image Assets

I started by compressing and converting large images into WebP format, which offers smaller file sizes without quality loss.

# Compress PNG/JPEG files to WebP
imagemin *.png --plugin=imagemin-webp --out-dir=optimized/        

Result: Reduced image sizes by up to 70%. Faster downloads, same quality!

2. Enable Efficient Caching

I replaced the default <Image> component with react-native-fast-image, a library designed for fast, efficient image rendering and caching.

import FastImage from 'react-native-fast-image';

<FastImage
  style={{ width: 100, height: 100 }}
  source={{
    uri: 'https://example.com/image.jpg',
    priority: FastImage.priority.high,
  }}
  resizeMode={FastImage.resizeMode.cover}
/>;
        

Result: Faster image loading and seamless performance.

3. Prefetch Images in Advance

To reduce the delay when rendering images, I used the Image.prefetch method to load images in the background.

useEffect(() => {
  Image.prefetch('https://example.com/image.jpg');
}, []);        

Result: Smooth transitions as images are preloaded before being displayed.

4. Add Skeleton Placeholders

While images loaded, I added a skeleton loader to improve user experience.

import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { Image, View, ActivityIndicator, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';

const LazyImage = ({ uri }) => {
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true);

  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      {loading && <ActivityIndicator size="large" color="#0000ff" />}
      <Image
        source={{ uri }}
        style={styles.image}
        onLoadEnd={() => setLoading(false)}
      />
    </View>
  );
};

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: { width: 200, height: 200, justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center' },
  image: { width: '100%', height: '100%' },
});
        

Result: A polished user experience with no blank spaces.

The Results

After implementing these optimizations:

? Load times reduced by 40%, making the app feel snappier.

? 25% improvement in user retention, tracked using analytics.

? Scrolling through image-heavy pages became buttery smooth.

Key Lessons Learned

1?? Small optimizations have a big impact. Compressing images was a game-changer.

2?? Libraries save time. react-native-fast-image was a lifesaver for caching.

3?? Prioritize UX. Skeleton loaders ensured users stayed engaged while content loaded.

Actionable Takeaways for Developers

Here are a few tips you can apply to your own projects:

1. Always optimize image assets—tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim are your best friends.
2. Use prefetching and caching wherever possible.
3. Add placeholders to keep the UI polished and user-friendly.

Closing Thoughts

Performance optimization is about finding small, impactful changes that create a seamless user experience.

Have you faced challenges with image performance in your apps? Let’s connect and discuss! Feel free to comment below or send me a DM.

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Thanks for reading, DhineshKumar Thirupathi